Sudan Crisis: Horrifying Situation and UN Security Council Briefing

Escalating Conflict and Violence in Sudan

• ⚠️ The conflict in Sudan has deteriorated significantly, causing widespread suffering and horrific violence.
• 🎯 The city of El Fasher in North Darfur, after over 500 days under siege, has been captured by the Rapid Support Forces, with only small pockets of resistance remaining.
• 📈 Fighting has intensified in the Kordofan region, with the city of Bara also captured by the Rapid Support Forces, indicating a broadening territorial scope of the conflict.
• 💥 Drone strikes are affecting new territories and targets across multiple regions, including Blue Nile, Khartoum, Sennar, South Kordofan, and West Darfur.

Human Cost and Atrocities

• 💔 The human cost of the conflict is profound, with mounting civilian casualties and increased humanitarian needs.
• 🚨 The risk of mass atrocities, ethnically targeted violence, and violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence, remains alarmingly high, particularly in El Fasher.
• 📉 Communications have been cut off, creating a chaotic situation where it's difficult to estimate civilian deaths, and no one is safe in El Fasher.
• 🩸 Reports from El Fasher include credible accounts of mass killings and summary executions during house-to-house searches and as civilians attempted to flee.
• ⚖️ There are also reports of large-scale atrocities in Bara, North Kordofan, including summary executions of civilians, some of which are allegedly ethnically motivated.

Calls for Peace and Accountability

• 🕊️ The UN Secretary-General has renewed his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for parties to return to the negotiating table in good faith.
• 🚫 External interference and the flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan are enabling the conflict and worsening the desperate situation.
• 🤝 The UN Personal Envoy has invited both parties to technical talks focused on de-escalation and civilian protection, with encouraging indications of willingness to engage.
• 🌍 Coordination among Sudan's international partners is essential, with efforts underway for an inter-Sudanese dialogue under the African Union's auspices.
• 📢 The UN Security Council is urged to use all available tools to demand peace in Sudan, as decisive action has not yet been taken to prevent further deterioration.
• ⚖️ Efforts towards accountability, including the renewal of the UN fact-finding mission mandate and IC verdicts, are essential to end the cycles of violence.